I discovered the island of Alumanaya a few years ago. It wasn’t a place I was particularly looking for or even knew existed. But I knew I was searching for something. A way to get past worries. A way to quiet fears. A way to live a more fulfilling and exhilarating life.

I had read books. I’d watched movies. I’d listened to speeches, sermons and audiotapes. But I could never quite find what worked for me. Everywhere I looked I found someone else’s answers, other people’s ideas on how to live. I found I could relate to some things, at least a little bit. Other approaches, not so much. And it seemed like few ideas really stuck. Good concepts were promptly forgotten when faced with the day-to-day demands of life. I needed something that I could really connect with. Something that felt like my own.

So I looked in a different place – inside myself. What I found was much more than I had imagined. Or, I guess you could say what I found was exactly what I imagined.

I started jotting down a few notes. Just some random thoughts about what it seemed I had learned in life so far. For fun, I added a touch of tropicality.

The ideas turned into pages. The pages multiplied. Gradually, five principles took shape along with a story about a wise island woman, her young grandson and a challenging adventure. Alumanaya was born.

But it turns out I had only discovered part of the island. I hadn’t really uncovered the true meaning of the principles.

Over the past few years, I’ve learned much more about what those ideas mean and how to apply them in my life. And as the story has spread, others have reported what they’ve discovered on the island as well. It’s been great hearing about how Alumanaya has made a difference in peoples’ lives.

But some have wanted more – an expanded guide to living with An Island Perspective. This is that guide.

It’s something I resisted doing for quite a while. For one, it gets a little personal and even in today’s world of electronic

social connection, it’s hard for me to do that. But I mainly resisted because I think that people should decide for

themselves how to live their lives. There is no one “right” rulebook. Following someone else’s path won’t take you to where you want to go. But then I realized maybe that’s how this guide can help. Maybe if I report what I’ve discovered, it can inspire you to take your own journey.

So this is really sort of a travel guide. A guide to an inner odyssey where we learn to use our creative imagination and better manage our thoughts. I’ll try to relate as best I can what I’ve learned so far. You see; I’m still exploring too. Every day I discover more about the island – more about myself. I understand better how to apply the principles to my life. The journey I began years ago is ongoing and will never end.

I invite you to come along. We’ll discover new things together. As we’ll soon discuss in these pages, my understanding may be a little different than yours. And we may apply the ideas in different ways. That’s fine. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Because while we’re all traveling together, we’re on different paths.

This guide is really more of a starting point. A way to fire up your own innate creativity. You may decide that you like certain aspects of the island of Alumanaya. If so, great! Or, you may decide to create your own inner island. Or mountain retreat. Or desert oasis. You may come up with your own principles of how to live and even develop a whole lifestyle around them. However you decide to use your creative imagination, the point is that you use your creative imagination! That you understand you have immense power. And it is available at all times, in all circumstances. You are in control of your life. Everything you need is already right there inside of you. It just needs to be uncovered. This guide will help you do that.

Your life journey truly is what you make it. You’ll discover many wondrous things, but you have to be willing to travel – to travel inside yourself.

So come on. The palm trees are calling you to dance. The waves are inviting you to play. And your path is waiting to be discovered . . .